Managing social network accessibility based on age

• US 8,966,590 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Janzer, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): SHOLEMAN, ABU S
• Application Number:
  US13/687,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20140150068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726/6, 726/1, 726/5, 726/22, 726/24, 726/25, 726/26, 726/27, 726/28, 726/29, 726/30, 709/203, 709/206, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 706/12, 706/46, 725/40, 725/46, 725/60, 725/131, 725/133, 705/18, 713/152, 713/187
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

When a user having an age less than a threshold age (a child user) attempts to access an online service or perform actions using the online service, the online service obtains parental authorization from an additional user having a parental relationship to the user. The child user may identify the user having the parental relationship and the online service verifies the validity of the identified user'"'"'s account, the age of the identified user, and/or a connection between the identified user and the child user having a parental relationship type. The online service may make these verifications based in part social and transactional information associated with the identified user'"'"'s account. Upon successful verification, the online service allows the identified user to authorize account creation for the child user, and/or manage the account and actions of the child user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a purported parent user, a request to regulate actions of a child user in a social networking system, the child user having an age that is less than a threshold age;

accessing information associated with an account in the social networking system of the purported parent user and accessing information associated with an account in the social networking system of the child user;

determining whether a parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user based on (1) the information associated with the account of the purported parent user and (2) the information associated with the account of the child user, wherein determining whether a parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user comprises;

determining whether the account of the purported parent user is valid,

determining whether the account of the purported parent user is associated with a purported parent user age that is equal to or exceeds an adult age threshold, and

determining that the purported parent user has a parent-child relationship with the child user based on the determination that the account of the purported parent user is valid and on the determination that the account of the purported parent is associated with a purported parent user age that is equal to or exceeds the adult age threshold;

responsive to determining an existence of a parent-child relationship between the purported parent user and the child user, determining whether the account of the purported parent user is connected to the account of the child user;

responsive to determining that the account of the purported parent user is not connected to the account of the child user, automatically establishing, by a computer, a connection in the social networking system between the account of the child user and the account of the purported parent user, the established connection having a connection type indicating a parent-child relationship, wherein the child user is prevented from unilaterally terminating the established connection between the account of the child user and the account of the purported parent user;

responsive to determining that the parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user, prompting the purported parent user to provide administrative settings regulating actions of the child user in the social networking system;

receiving, from the purported parent user, administrative settings regulating connection request actions of the child user in the social networking system; and

managing actions by the child user in social networking system based on the administrative settings received from the purported parent user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically notifying the purported parent user about types of communications received by the child user in the social networking system, wherein the types of communications are specified by the administrative settings.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the types of communications are selected from the group consisting of:

an invitation to an event, a request to form a connection with an additional user of the social networking system, and a request to join a group in the social networking system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the purported parent user of a request to connect to an additional user of the social networking system sent by the child user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the purported parent user, descriptions of updates to the account of the child user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the administrative settings indicates one or more types of social network connections that which the child user may establish.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein managing actions by the child user in the social networking system based at least in part on the administrative settings received from the purported parent user comprises:

limiting actions in the social networking system capable of being performed by the child user to actions specified by the administrative settings.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the administrative settings specify objects in the social networking system with which the child user is permitted to establish a connection.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an administrative setting specifies whether the child user may receive information from other users in the social networking system with which the child user is not connected.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting content accessible to the child user to content associated with users of the social networking system connected to the child user if the age of the child user is less than a minimum age based on information associated with the account of the child user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

hiding the account associated with the child user from appearing in search results from the social networking system if the age of the child user is less than a minimum age based on information associated with the account of the child user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

blocking receipt of connection requests from other users by the child user if the age of the child user is less than a minimum age based on information associated with the account of the child user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the child user to access a social networking object that is associated with an age limit; and

denying the child user access to the social networking object responsive to determining that the age of the child user does not meet the age limit.

14. A system composing:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions, the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive, from a purported parent user, a request to regulate actions of a child user in a social networking system, the child user having an age that is less than a threshold age;

access information associated with an account in the social networking system of the purported parent user and accessing information associated with an account in the social networking system of the child user;

determine whether a parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user based on (1) the information associated with the account of the purported parent user and (2) the information associated with the account of the child user, wherein the instructions for determining whether a parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user cause the processor to;

determine whether the account of the purported parent user is valid,

determine whether the account of the purported parent user is associated with a purported parent user age that is equal to or exceeds an adult age threshold, and

determine that the purported parent user has a parent-child relationship with the child user based on the determination that the account of the purported parent user is valid and on the determination that the account of the purported parent is associated with a purported parent user age that is equal to or exceeds the adult age threshold;

responsive to determining an existence of a parent-child relationship between the purported parent user and the child user, determine whether the account of the purported parent user is connected to the account of the child user;

responsive to determining that the account of the purported parent user is not connected to the account of the child user, automatically establish a connection in the social networking system between the account of the child user and the account of the purported parent user, the established connection having a connection type indicating a parent-child relationship, wherein the child user is prevented from unilaterally terminating the established connection between the account of the child user and the account of the purported parent user;

responsive to determining that the parent-child relationship exists between the purported parent user and the child user, prompt the purported parent user to provide administrative settings regulating actions of the child user in the social networking system;

receive, from the purported parent user, administrative settings regulating connection request actions of the child user in the social networking system; and

manage actions by the child user in social networking system based on the administrative settings received from the purported parent user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

automatically notify the purported parent user about types of communications received by the child user in the social networking system, wherein the types of communications are specified by the administrative settings.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

notify the purported parent user of a request to connect to an additional user of the social networking system sent by the child user.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit, to the purported parent user, descriptions of updates to the account of the child user.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the administrative settings specify objects in the social networking system with which the child user is permitted to establish a connection.